Research progress on ferroptosis in drug-induced kidney injury.

Ferroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death that has garnered increasing attention in recent years in the study of drug-induced kidney injury, where it plays a critical role in the onset and progression of the disease. This review systematically summarizes the core mechanisms and regulatory pathways of ferroptosis in kidney injury, as well as the crosstalk between ferroptosis and other forms of programmed cell death. It further discusses how microbial-derived drugs, traditional Chinese medicines, and their active monomers induce renal ferroptosis through their respective core targets, thereby mediating drug-induced kidney injury. By synthesizing existing evidence, this paper clarifies the common patterns and key targets by which various drugs induce kidney injury via the ferroptosis pathway. It provides a theoretical foundation for drug safety evaluation, clinical medication risk early warning and targeted renal protection strategies, and also sheds new light on the exploration of combined medication schemes, indirect toxic mechanisms and individualized toxicity detection.